Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 281 Overlord’s meal

Shiraishi has limited concern for the Takasugi family, but is more concerned about...

"We haven't had our meal yet, let's go somewhere and get something to eat," Shiraishi suggested to Ayako.

"It would be hard to find a place today without a reservation in advance...how about we go to Suzuki Hotel?" Ayako suggested with a blushing face.

"It's not that far...ah, there's a Chinese restaurant here. Judging from the style, couples probably don't come here often!" Shiraishi saw a pretty luxurious Chinese restaurant at this time.

Because the decoration style is of the "rustic and elegant" variety and has nothing to do with romance, Bai Shi should have a place.

"How about roast duck and mapo tofu?" asked Bai Shi.

"Okay..." Ayako nodded.

When Shiraishi arrived in front of the store, a waiter came over to guide him to park. As Shiraishi expected, there were still seats available at this Chinese restaurant.

Because they had never been here before, when Bai Shi came in, everyone was really shocked. The receptionist hesitated for a long time before stepping forward...

"Are there any private rooms?" Bai Shi asked directly.

"I'm sorry, there are no private rooms left, but we have screen railings, so the privacy is pretty good," the receptionist introduced.

"Okay, then let's go to the position of the screen..." Bai Shi said in a very friendly manner.

After ordering the signature roast duck, mapo tofu, twice-cooked pork, shredded pork with green peppers, dumplings, xiaolongbao... a series of stereotypical Chinese dishes, Shiraishi and Ayako ate while waiting.

There is one benefit to eating Chinese food with Shiraishi...

Ayako felt like she was eating at a buffet!

If they were eating separately, it wouldn't be noticeable, but with this kind of meal, Shiraishi's appetite was so great that Ayako could eat everything...

Just when Bai Shi was about half full, some discordant sounds came from the other side of the screen.

"What do you mean by paying the bill? I already said I have no money. How about you beat me up?"

"Don't fight? Then I'll leave?"

"Call the police... I didn't stop you!"

"Really? Young people nowadays report everything to the police..."

"When I was young, if I ate a free meal, I would just take a beating."

……

It seemed that there was an old man who ordered a lot of things but didn’t pay in the end!
Of course, Bai Shi didn't say anything about such a trivial matter.

"It seems like the police have been called over there." Ayako reminded in a low voice.

"Just report it, it's just a free meal." Shiraishi would of course not care about such a small matter, after all, this is not Beika Town.

"Is this the jurisdiction of Katsushika Police Station?"

"No, it should be the Kameari Police Station." A map of the jurisdictions of more than a hundred police stations in Toudou appeared in Shiraishi's mind.

Soon after, a patrolman from Kameari Police Station arrived...

As usual, he tried to persuade him first, but of course persuasion was ineffective - Shiraishi estimated that an old man of his age, who was so straightforward in eating and drinking... was definitely heading for jail!

"Documents... Let me see. How about a release certificate?"

"It's just the second day since you got out!" The patrolman was helpless.

"It's still better inside. Everyone inside is talented and speaks nicely. I like it there very much." The old man said as a matter of course.

At this point, the restaurant has realized that it has no choice but to accept the cost of the meal.

"Okay, then come with us." The patrolman specifically asked for his wallet and confirmed that there were only a few coins in it.

There is a salary for working on the sewing machine in prison, which is paid when you are released from prison, but it is not much in the first place, and...

Just looking at the old man's luggage, you can tell that he has exchanged all his money for daily necessities - yes, he is still carrying a luggage bag, and it is obvious that he is ready to "move in with just the luggage".

"Huh? Senior Kobayashi, there is a police officer's business card in his wallet?" a patrolman said in surprise.

"Huh? Mr. Kamei, this isn't a fake business card, is it?" Patrolman Kobayashi asked immediately.

"If you say it's fake, then it's fake. How long can you live with a fake business card?" The old man didn't care at all.

"Senior Kobayashi, do you want to make a phone call and ask? It's the police officer from the Beihua Police Station..." the patrolman confirmed in a low voice.

……

Kara -

Under Ayako's helpless gaze, Shiraishi put down his chopsticks.

When Shiraishi heard the name "Mr. Kamei" just now, he felt somewhat familiar with it. As expected...

"Can you let me take a look?" Bai Shi stood up and asked.

"what!"

"What is this... ahem... you are..."

The two patrolmen were also startled - such a big head was "floating" directly above the screen and started talking to them.

The waiter beside him was also startled: "Sir, I'm sorry to disturb your meal, here..."

He was actually wondering - why are you, a big guy, trying to scare the patrolman?
At this time, Bai Shi pulled open the screen to "prove" that his head was not floating, but that the screen only reached his neck, and at the same time he took out his police ID.

"Excuse me... I'm the director of the Mihua Police Department. Can I see your business card?" Bai Shiliang said as he showed his police ID.

In fact, before he showed his police ID, the two patrolmen from Kameoka had already recognized him!
After all, they are all police officers in Dongdu. Even if they don’t know Bai Shi’s face, they know his figure...

"Officer Shiraishi, look carefully!" The two men saluted quickly and held up the business card in old man Kamei's wallet.

Kameari is not a large police station, and the chief is only a superintendent, one level lower than Shiraishi, not to mention it is just a simple task.

Shiraishi took the business card and took a look at it - it was indeed the business card of [Genrei Seiji], and it was not a fake.

"It is indeed the business card of our police officer...this gentleman's bill will be charged to me." Shiraishi said to the waiter generously.

Shiraishi already knew who this old man was—he was Yukichi Kamei, who disappeared from the company at the same time as the deceased in the "White Bone Case"!
Before this, Gen and Yamada must have consulted him while in prison and after he was released from prison, so they gave him their business cards.

Bai Shi immediately looked at the two patrolmen and said, "He should be related to the case our department is investigating. He is a relatively important witness. What do you think..."

"Since the bill has been paid, let's go back first!"

"I won't disturb you on your business..."

The two patrolmen had no intention of arresting Kamei - if the meal was paid for, they would not bother to care, especially since it was Inspector Shiraishi who was speaking.

The restaurant had even less objection. After all, sending him to jail would not help them recover their losses, so it would be better to get the meal money back.

Shiraishi glanced at Kamei's table - it was so extravagant! Most of the dishes he ordered were expensive, and the table was still full!

"Eh? Is that so? Officer, you are Officer Yuan's boss, right? I'm so sorry to have to cost your police station money again." Kamei looked embarrassed at this time.

Shiraishi:……

Again? Look at the source, he has also been "slaughtered"!

Now that Shiraishi has paid for his meal, for Kamei it is just a matter of eating at the "buffet" one more time.

"Mr. Kamei, please sit down. Since we happen to meet, why not chat for a while?" Shiraishi directly invited him to take a seat.

Although Ayako was helpless, but...

Since I met the person related to the case of the Mihua Police Department, there was nothing I could do - fortunately, Valentine's Day had passed yesterday, so today was an "unexpected gain".

"I still have a lot left. Do you want to take some?" Kamei looked at Shiraishi's dishes, then looked at Shiraishi's body shape.

"That's not necessary." Bai Shi said as a matter of course.

Although it was a bit wasteful, Ayako was obviously not willing to have a meal with a strange old man.

"Mr. Kamei, are you in trouble? If you need any help, I can..." Ayako thought he was in prison for retirement.

However, Kamei smiled and teased, "Ah, my! Here it comes. This kind of temperament... At first glance, you are the eldest daughter of a wealthy family. I guess your family has at least 1 billion!"

This number is too conservative, but... the meaning is true.

Although Kamei is quite old, he has a very cheerful personality and is good at speaking.

What he needs is indeed not "help". Indeed, many elderly people who are "dependent on prison" are due to pension issues, and Kamei has considered this aspect. However, the more important thing is that Kamei can no longer adapt to the outside society.

He is not one of those old-age dependents who only commit crimes and go to jail after he is in his seventies or eighties. Instead, he has been in jail for the past two or three decades...

This can be roughly seen from the period of time he spent in prison.

After he went to jail for intentional injury for the first time, he struggled a bit after he got out. He was imprisoned for the second time more than a year later, and after that he basically gave up.

"Mr. Kamei, have you had no contact with your family after you were released from prison?" Shiraishi asked at this time.

Kamei's expression froze when he heard this, but he still pretended to be relaxed and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "I have caused them a lot of trouble. My son has been working hard to run a small workshop, but because of me, he can't even get a loan approved... How can I have the face to see them?"

It must have caused a lot of trouble!
Given the public opinion environment in Eastern Japan, if there is a criminal in the family, the probability of a child being bullied at school will greatly increase. Fortunately, given Kamei's age, his son should have graduated from high school by then.

However, after seeing his reaction, Shiraishi understood that Kamei really could not find a place to go outside the prison.

So Bai Shi turned around and asked, "The police officers from my department came to you to inquire about the case before, right?"

"Yeah, yeah... I was also shocked. There was such a horrible thing. Someone actually killed that guy, Fengya." Kamei said with a sigh on his face. "No, it's not confirmed whether he was killed by someone." Shiraishi shook his head.

"Well...that's your business. I can't help you." Kamei said frankly.

Kamei then took the initiative to ask, "Is there anything else? If not, I'll leave. Today is Valentine's Day, right? This young lady must be waiting for me to leave." He also joked with Ayako.

Bai Shi also looked at him and said, "Please do as you please."

"Thank you for your leniency!" Kamei shouted loudly, then picked up his luggage and left.

"Is this really okay?" Ayako asked Shiraishi worriedly.

"It's not good, but it's not a big problem, and there's no better way." Bai Shi shrugged.

Kamei's problem is not something Shiraishi should worry about...

After all, how criminals with criminal records integrate into society is a social problem that the Ministry of Justice, or even the entire East Island country, has been unable to solve for decades, and it is impossible to expect Shiraishi to solve it.

Fortunately, under the laws of the Eastern Island Country, because of the bonus for repeat offenders, "dine and eat for free" can be sentenced to one or two years each time, so from the perspective of social harm and governance costs, it actually does not cause too much trouble - every one or two years, there is a high-end restaurant that cannot collect the meal money.

It is better to have a few easy-to-discipline old men in prison than a few difficult-to-discipline old tumors outside.

The reason why Bai Shi asked him to come and ask was mainly because he was concerned about the previous "white bone case".

"Do you think... he could be the murderer?" Ayako asked Shiraishi in a low voice - she also knew which case Shiraishi was asking about.

What is suspicious about Kamei is that he and the deceased, Hochiya, had their divinations cut off on the same day, and he committed a crime again the next day and went to jail, giving people the impression that he was "hiding."

"I don't know, but it doesn't seem like it." Bai Shi didn't make judgments based on his feelings, so of course he couldn't be sure of anything.

However, through the contact just now, Bai Shi felt that although he was hiding something, he did not look like the kind of person who had killed someone!

"Indeed, I don't think so either." Ayako also said confidently.

"And if it was him...if he really killed someone, there wouldn't be a big deal if he turned himself in, right? He'd just have to sit in jail for a while and have fewer chances to dine and eat for free." Bai Shi nodded.

Anyway, it's just one person being killed and he's so old, the probability of being sentenced to death is too small. If he's just locked up, the prison sentence will have no disciplinary effect on him at all, and he doesn't mind if he stays in prison for the rest of his life.

Shiraishi also sent a text message to Yuan just now, asking him to pay attention to Kamei's situation...

If you want to ask anything else, hurry up, it’s only a matter of time before you “dine for free” next time.

If the suspect is sent to prison directly in one step, then there will be no delay in questioning. He only needs to go to Mihua Prison to go through the formalities. The only thing to worry about is that he is in the detention center before the trial. Although the detention center is also in the prison, regulations do not allow suspects to be questioned about other cases at this time, otherwise there will be suspicion of "detention for another case."

Just when Shiraishi and Ayako had finished eating and were about to pay the bill and go home...

Under the hostile gaze of the hotel waiter, Kamei came back again, this time with a sad face, and was pulled back by someone.

Bai Shi also knew this person. When the other party saw Bai Shi, he hurried over.

"Achuan Protection Officer, long time no see." Shiraishi recognized the man.

"Director Shiraishi, I'm really sorry... The rehabilitated personnel I'm in charge of have caused you trouble again!" Achuan said very embarrassedly.

"Huh? Mr. Kamei, are you also in charge?" Shiraishi was stunned when he heard this.

"Well, Mr. Kamei's hometown is also in Minami-Senju." Achuan nodded.

"Who is this..." Ayako looked at Achuan curiously.

"Oh, let me introduce you. This is Protection Officer Agawa. The Protection Officer is responsible for assisting people with criminal records to integrate into society. In the case of the proprietress of Fukuman Gyudon, it was thanks to the assistance of Protection Officer Agawa." Shiraishi introduced to Ayako.

"Hello." Ayako said and held out her hand.

As Ah Chuan shook hands, he quickly said, "I am so sorry to bother you two on a day like today..."

"I didn't ask them to be disturbed..." Kamei complained quietly.

"Mr. Kamei!" Achuan immediately pulled him aside to teach him a lesson.

Maybe it was the childish nature of the old man that blew up, and Kamei really fell for it.

"I'm sorry, but I won't pay the money back, and Achuan can't pay it back for me because financial relations between the Protection Department and us criminals are strictly prohibited... If you feel this is not sincere enough, I can step down." Kamei said carelessly.

"Then there's no need..." Bai Shi was also helpless.

"Mr. Kamei..." Achuan was also troubled by dealing with such a rehabilitated person, but he could not give up.

Of course, the Protection Department’s biggest headache is definitely not these criminals with previous criminal records—because at least they don’t cause trouble for the Department, they don’t have any demands on the Department, and they will just “go home” immediately.

The Conservation Department is a public welfare position and there are no KPI assessment requirements. Kamei will not lose anything if she "goes home".

"It is indeed strictly forbidden to lend money between the Protection Department and the rehabilitation subjects, but... this is not a loan to you, Mr. Kamei, but to make up for your mistake! Director Shiraishi, I'll take care of his bill..."

"Hey, hey, he's a man with dignity, he can't let you pay!"

"No, I have to do it..."

"I just spent more than 100,000 yuan."

Achuan:......

Achuan, I didn’t bring enough money!
After all, her main income comes from working in a convenience store.

"No need, I just want to confirm some things about the case with Mr. Kamei...By the way, how is Yamakawa doing at Takigawa Foods?" Shiraishi asked at this time.

Yamakawa Akira is the one who let Manshima go in the "Manshima Disappearance Case" but never dared to tell the truth.

It was also during the investigation of this case that Shiraishi first learned about Takigawa Foods and knew that it was a contracted employer under the Ministry of Justice's "Cooperative Employer System" and had hired many people with criminal records.

At that time, in order to minimize the impact on Yamakawa, under the coordination of Achuan, Shiraishi and Matsumoto privately asked Yamakawa. Even when he was most suspicious, he only stayed in the Beika Police Station for one night and did not affect his work.

Originally, Shiraishi didn't want to disturb Yamakawa Akira in this case.

after all……

Yamakawa Akira has only recently started working at Takigawa Foods and was in prison a year ago. He might know about the "mixed rice" incident, but he certainly doesn't know Fengya.

As for whether the "rice adulteration scandal" is true or not, it is not the key point that the Rice Bureau wants to investigate. For "rehabilitated personnel", it is rare to have a job opportunity. We cannot expect everyone to have an overflowing sense of justice and fight against evil to the end even if they suffer losses...

Asking Yamakawa Akira about this kind of thing is no different from destroying someone's job.

As a rehabilitated person released from prison, Yamakawa Akira is also trying hard to live, and Shiraishi doesn't want to disturb him.

It was just that he happened to see Achuan, so Bai Shi asked.

Unexpectedly...

"Mr. Yamakawa has resigned from Takigawa Foods..." Achuan said first, then immediately thought of something and explained quickly: "But it's not because the Rice Flower Agency asked him to assist in the investigation! At that time, thanks to Director Shiraishi's understanding, Mr. Yamakawa's job at Takigawa Foods was saved, but...

"Mr. Yamakawa didn't say why, he just suddenly resigned from there. But don't worry, he got his driver's license and found a new job."

Hearing what Achuan said, Shiraishi felt a little relieved - Yamakawa was not a bad person, and although he had made mistakes, he had already atonement to the law. It would be best if he could live a stable life.

"Really? That's great... There are a lot of prisoners recently. How can we get them back to society after a few years or even decades? We'll need the efforts of protection officers like Miss Achuan. Let's stop here for today. Goodbye." Shiraishi said, ending the greetings.

"Wait a minute... Mr. Kamei's meal money..." Achuan was still struggling.

But Shiraishi had already waved his hand and said, "Just treat me to a meal. Mr. Kamei owes you one."

Because it was a special day and Shiraishi had a female companion, it was not easy for Achuan to catch up with him.

and……

Even if she caught up with him, she had no money to pay now!
……

Originally, Bai Shi thought that this "white bone case" would not have any results for a while.

If we only look at the time dimension, the "White Bone Case" happened only one year apart, while the "Mihua Cape Case" happened two years ago. However, the "White Bone Case" actually has even less clues, as there has not been any valid witnesses so far, while the few people present in the "Mihua Cape Case" were fixed, and... a second case occurred recently.

However, what Bai Shi did not expect was that the "breakthrough in the case" came much faster than he had imagined!

The day after Valentine's Day...

October 2, Wednesday.

Early in the morning, not long after Shiraishi arrived at the director's office, Kunikida immediately came to report on his work!
"Chief, just now at the 6th chome intersection... the wallet and cell phone of Katsumi Hoshiya, the victim of the White Bone Case, were found!" Kunikida said hurriedly as he came in.

"Hōya's wallet and cell phone?" Shiraishi was also stunned when he heard that.

When the skeleton was found, he had nothing on him to prove his identity, including his wallet and cell phone. In the end, his identity was obtained through DNA extracted from his bone marrow.

Like the "clothes were not on him" and "a letter of complaint was hidden at the scene", the disappearance of the wallet and mobile phone also became one of the "suspects of homicide" in this case.

It is said that finding the victim's phone and wallet would be a great thing for the investigation of the case, but...

Shiraishi asked with a puzzled look on his face: "Roku-chome Koban? What's going on? They are far away from the warehouse where the body was found, right? And... why is it at this time..."

At first glance, this doesn't make sense - how could a wallet and a cell phone that were allegedly stolen a year ago be found at this very moment? And how come they were found by the 6th chome guard?
"It's like this... At the 6-chome garbage station, after collecting the garbage this morning, while sorting it, I found a wallet with money still in it, and a cell phone that didn't look like garbage. I suspected that someone had thrown it away by mistake, so I handed it in to the koban.

"As a result, the patrol officer on duty found out that the user's surname was Beeya after charging the phone, and there was a sign-in card for Takigawa Foods in the wallet. He immediately contacted the forensic team, and the forensic team just confirmed the fingerprint, and it is indeed that Beeya Katsumi!" Kunikida also looked strange at this time.

Because the discovery of the bones spread to all the patrols as an example to encourage everyone to "search more uninhabited places", the patrolman at the 6-chome patrol immediately thought of the "Bone Case" from this surname.

However... this discovery process is indeed a bit dramatic.

----

Dongdong: I’m in the ward waiting for delivery. There will be regular updates tomorrow. I’ll check on the situation the day after tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)